Thousands of Islamist protesters marched the streets of Bangladesh’s capital, calling for the death penalty for bloggers who insult Islam. The city ground to a halt as demonstrators demanded the government change the law to punish blasphemers.

The activists gathered in their thousands at Dhaka’s commercial
hub on Friday night in protest over blasphemous bloggers who offend
Islamist sensibilities on social networks. In a demonstration that
lasted well into Saturday, they urged the government to introduce a
new law with the provision of the death penalty for those who
defame Islam.

As the protesters advanced they chanted: "God is great, hang the
atheist bloggers!”

Dhaka police put the number of demonstrators at around 100,000,
while the event’s organizers said the protests drew more than half
a million Muslims. The so-called ‘long march’ brought people from
remote villages to participate.

Hefajat-e-Islam, the hardline group who organized the protests, has
set out a list of 13 demands for the Bangladeshi government. They
stipulate a system by which so-called ‘atheist bloggers’ can be
prosecuted and hanged for their defamation of Islam.

In response to the ‘anti-atheist’ march, secularists organized a
nationwide strike in an attempt to obstruct the protest. As a
consequence, Dhaka was effectively brought to a halt, with private
transport firms ceasing service amid fears of clashes between
secularists and Islamist activists.

The conflict between ‘atheists’ and Muslim fundamentalists on
social media is a significant bone of contention in Bangladeshi
society. Earlier this week four men were taken into custody for
incendiary comments against Islam.

Tensions between the antagonistic groups reached boiling point
in February after the murder of a well-known atheist blogger
outside his home. Ahmed Hajder was part of a movement of bloggers
who called for Islamist leaders who committed crimes in the 1971
war of independence to be tried and executed.

In an effort to allay tensions, the Bangladeshi government has
blocked a number of websites and blogs. Additionally, a panel has
been formed to monitor and control blasphemy on internet sites and
social media.

The current punishment for defaming religion online in Bangladesh
carries a jail sentence of up to 10 years in jail.